


playing with ice, but it still burns

by mingxeok



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Established Relationship, Light Angst, M/M, Sex, burn - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:17:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mingxeok/pseuds/mingxeok
Summary: minseok is an assassin, and chanyeol is always his target





	playing with ice, but it still burns

“It’s been awhile, Minseok,” Chanyeol’s hands are in his pockets, with a wicked smirk plastered across his face. For someone who’s been on the run for almost a year, he’s looking decidedly good.

It really has been too long, though. Standing before him is a wanted man, a powerful mage, but most importantly, an old friend. Chanyeol, as it turns out now, hadn’t really gone too far from the Sanctuary, but finding him just  _here_ , inside an abandoned warehouse by a quiet industrial town sets something ugly loose in his stomach. It burrows into Minseok’s heart with each passing second as they regard each other, twisting further and further like a burning poker.

Minseok pushes down those old feelings and fakes his own smile. “What can I say? It wouldn’t be so long if you hadn’t decided to run off, to begin with.” He watches Chanyeol’s steps, lazy but purposeful, and heat begins to build around his throat.

Chanyeol shrugs, but Minseok knows he’s more affected by his words than he lets on. It’s dim in the warehouse, flimsy light from the fading afternoon pushing through boarded windows and gaps in the ceiling. Chanyeol’s eyes shine brightly within the gloom, though neither are prey nor predator. They both know that they’re equally matched, and maybe that’s why they’re circling each other, too wary to make the first move.

“Why did you do it? Why’d you go?” Minseok asks, breaking the silence. He keeps his hand concealed behind the folds of his coat, and concentrates his ice into talons. He really hopes he won’t have to use them.

Chanyeol ignores him. “Did they send you to kill me? Their little pet assassin?” His words sting. 

“They did,” Minseok replies carefully. They continue to circle each other. “They say you’re a threat now. After what you did.”

“And am I?”

Minseok swallows the lump in his throat. “You won’t be if you give yourself up. Come back. I’m sure we can–”

Chanyeol shakes his head. It’s slight, but the room grows more warm, more smothering. “You’re an assassin, you don’t take people back alive. You’re gonna kill me, aren’t you?”

“I just want to talk–” Minseok says quickly, reaching out, but is interrupted by a sudden burst of fire.

“Talk?” Chanyeol hisses. Flames flicker between his fingers, their light strong enough for Minseok to see bones through skin. Minseok can really feel the heat emanating from Chanyeol now; it’s coming off in waves and its starting to make him sweat.

“I just want to talk.” Minseok repeats softly. He tries again, this time subliming his ice and holding both hands out in a calming gesture. He just wants to figure it all out, but he has to be careful. “Please.”

The ground burns where Chanyeol steps, leaving behind darkened prints. Though Minseok is more apprehensive than Chanyeol, the other man looks agitated, eyebrows knitted, mouth turned downwards. He usually stands tall, but today, he’s slightly crouched, as if ready to spring at any given moment.

Suddenly, he pulls back, before expelling fiery breath, scorching the very area Minseok was standing in. He dodges it, of course, but is met with a dark chuckle instead of the next attack. Chanyeol’s playing with him, testing him to see what he’ll do next.

“Chanyeol,” Minseok tries gently. “We don’t have to do this. I ju–” A sudden ball of fire roars past him, causing him to leap upwards to dodge it. Out of habit, Minseok twists and lands to fire back his own volley of crystals, which would have lacerated Chanyeol where he’d stood if he hadn't brought up a shield of fire at the last second. Minseok mentally kicks himself– the last thing he wanted to do was to get confrontational.

“Great idea,” The wall drops, revealing Chanyeol beaming wildly. The steel sheets of the warehouse rattle and groan from the energy the fire mage emits. “I’ll talk if you can beat me.” His grin grows, and fire crackles in his eyes and hands.

Despite the tension gripping his entire body, Minseok finds himself oddly at peace. This is the Chanyeol he’s known for so long; young, proud, impetuous, reckless. This is the Chanyeol he coached and trained from the very beginning, and even now, this is the same Chanyeol Minseok’s come to for. This  _isn’t_ the Chanyeol that had attacked them, then left without a single word.  _That_ Chanyeol was closed off, disturbed, almost possessed with the fear and torment of his actions. He’d disappeared during the chaos, but now he’s here, almost his usual self.

There’s hope, and he’s certain if he plays his cards right, everything will be okay. It’ll be alright, Minseok tells himself as he works on cooling his body down, causing steam to rise from his skin. He focuses and tracks Chanyeol’s movements carefully. He wants nothing more than to bring him back home right now.

“I want to take you back, Chanyeol,” Minseok says, and there may be tears in his eyes, from the roaring heat or his emotions, he doesn’t know.

Chanyeol is the first to make a move, launching twin columns of flames from his hand, all the with lips pulled back in a grimace. Minseok curses, leaping upwards to one of the large racks close by, out of range from the other’s flamethrowers. He hurls the snow he’s gathered in his hand, a makeshift smoke bomb that blasts cool air and gives him time to properly analyse his surroundings. He’d best stay up here, as the other’s fire provides enough lighting anyway for him to move around without falling.

“You sure you’re not here to kill me?” Chanyeol calls from within the thick haze. Minseok keeps his hand out, reading the molecules and listening carefully for sounds. Chanyeol is still on the ground, somewhere to his right. “You told me that you’d always start with a snow bomb if you had to hunt down your mark.”

“Force of habit,” Minseok mutters to himself. There’s a clear elemental disadvantage between them, and though Chanyeol is right, his old techniques are the only thing he knows can help him survive this. He uses his hand to conjure a blanket of snow over the fog, concealing the large block of ice forming above them that he plans to drop on the other. “I told you before, I’m retired, please Chan–”

“Trying to distract me?” Chanyeol crows from within the swirling cloud. “Typical assassin stuff.”

Dark grey smoke suddenly ripples through Minseok’s snow bomb, breaking through the concentrated layer and knocks him off balance. He loses focus and the ice shatters mid-air immediately, raining down crystal shards. Minseok rolls back up and crosses over to the next line of shelves throughout the warehouse, painfully aware of the angry cloud racing after him.

Minseok curses again, but he’s impressed; Chanyeol hadn’t known how to do that since the last time they’d seen each other. He’s not too sure how long Chanyeol can retain this form, but he’s in no position to experiment. He quickly twists around, bringing up a wall of ice to stop the other and swiftly drops back onto the ground.

Minseok has to bring this back onto the surface and at that very moment, an idea strikes him hard and sharpens his mind.  “Okay,” he calls out. The air is thick with white smoke and mist, though it's tinged with orange from the other’s flames. “We’ll do this on your terms, alright?”

Chanyeol suddenly reforms behind him, but Minseok has had enough training that he barely flinches. A hot hand grips his shoulder and spins him around, before slamming him back into the ice wall. “What are you up to?” Chanyeol’s eyes narrow as he stares him down. “You never–”

With a quick thrust of his hand and a well-placed arm, Minseok whirls out of the hold and begins walking to the centre of the warehouse, where it is free of shelves and large enough to handle two powerful mages and all the magic they have rumbling inside them. He knows Chanyeol won’t attack him with his back turned. “I really...I told you, I just want to  _talk_ to you. Please. I’ll fight you, the way you want it.”

Chanyeol doesn’t reply straight away but joins Minseok in the open space anyway. “So you actually listen to me.”

“I’ve always listened to you,” Minseok replies carefully. He looks into the other’s umber eyes and it’s just like the training days before the disaster. Nostalgia creeps and burns up Minseok’s throat but he wills it away and intensifies his gaze.

Bristling, Chanyeol looks away and conjures his flames once more. They flicker up his arm angrily. “Whatever.” He shakes his head before readying himself, determination etched into his features.

No rules this time. It had gone unspoken between the two of them, and Minseok knows if he’s going to get any explanation out of Chanyeol, he’ll need to go all the way. It might be a hoax, but he doesn’t care anymore. He knows, just by the trembling in Chanyeol’s hands, that he’s been waiting for his opportunity for a very long time. What Chanyeol wants is an ugly fight, up close and personal, bodies colliding with each other, blood, lots of blood. Whether it be from anticipation or rage, or even fear, Minseok never goes back on his word, and he promises both himself and Chanyeol to give the best fight he’s ever had in him.

This time, Minseok moves first, feinting low then coming up with an undercut reinforced with solid ice. It sends Chanyeol tumbling back, and Minseok twists to the side to avoid the flames roaring in retaliation.

Chanyeol growls as he pulls up a curtain of fire to separate them. Even at this distance, Minseok can feel it singeing the ends of his eyelashes and he counters with a snow bomb to neutralise the flames. Again, thick mist ripples from the point of contact, engulfing the surroundings in an opaque haze. He figures it isn’t really cheating if he stays on the ground.

The sudden blow to his stomach catches him completely off-guard and drives him to his knees. Minseok coughs blood and sucks in air as pain blossoms across his belly. He gets back onto his feet and pushes the pain down.

Chanyeol laughs from somewhere fog. It’s somewhere behind Minseok, and this time, when he surges at him again, Minseok catches the arm, reworks the momentum and sends the other man over his shoulder.

It’s Chanyeol’s turn to cough, but Minseok doesn’t continue to attack him while he’s down. He would if this was a normal fight, but of course, it isn’t. Minseok prepares himself as Chanyeol lunges, fire writhing between his knuckles as he feints a punch to his face and instead, roundhouse kicks him in the side. Minseok anticipates both blows but it still hurts like a bitch, and he blinks through the pain and sends a volley of bullet-shaped ice into Chanyeol’s chest.

Chanyeol grunts and reciprocates with a hand full of fire into Minseok’s face. Minseok steps back just in time, and ducks low to take the other’s knees. Chanyeol blocks with his arm, his other hand lunging out like a snake and getting a tight grip around Minseok’s exposed ankle. Minseok tries to shake him off but his hand is strong, and soon, he feels the heat bite into his skin and sear.

Minseok cries out and finally succeeds in getting out of the hold with a blast of ice shards into Chanyeol’s face. He hops away, noting the darkened patch of skin under the amber flames. Tears spring to his eyes, more out of anger than pain and when Chanyeol tries to attack again, he coats his hand in needles of ice and slaps him across the face as he rushes past. Chanyeol bellows in pain as thin lines of blood disperse through the air. The fire mage loops an arm around Minseok’s neck, taking the both of them down onto the damp ground.

With Chanyeol’s size, Minseok can’t stay on the ground for too long. He gets both feet under the other’s below, before pushing with all his strength and forcing him off in a clean motion. Minseok staggers to his feet and hopes he hasn’t broken any of Chanyeol’s ribs. His worry is fortunately misplaced, and Chanyeol scrambles up and charges towards him, an inferno in his eyes.

Though Minseok is more experienced, Chanyeol does have the slight advantage where even touching his clothes can result in mild burns. Minseok can feel the heat starting to build when the other’s punch whistles past his cheek, and when he uses his own hands to block a kick aimed at his face. He needs to get some distance again.

Another ball of powder snow forms in his hand and Minseok hurls it to the ground, refreshing the mist and reducing their vision to almost pure white. He reads the molecules and determines that Chanyeol has moved back slightly, though he can actually see him through the mist. The fire mage is glowing with an orange halo, and that’s when Minseok realises that he’s trying to heat up the air and turn his fog back into water droplets. He’ll have to work quickly,

Ice stalagmites explode from the ground up, piercing the very space Chanyeol was in before he’d quickly jumped away. The icicles immediately sublime as Minseok’s concentration dips from the simultaneous strain of maintaining it clashes with avoiding the flamethrowers Chanyeol instantly sends his way. He refocuses again, trying to form smaller ones to pierce through the other’s foot, but he realises too late that Chanyeol is no longer in the area he’s aiming at.

A hand burns into his side and Minseok screams, twisting with enough panic and pain to break the next hold and scramble away. He doesn’t get a good look at Chanyeol as he fires a wave of crystals towards him, nicking skin and drawing blood. Chanyeol pushes through it with a wall of fire, pouring all his magic into melting unmeltable ice. The man lunges forward, through the flames and engages Minseok with bared teeth and searing hands that glow from within. Minseok channels his magic down his arms; sharpened blades of ice from his elbows and hands so cold that they’re on the verge of becoming frostbitten themselves. It takes a lot of magic to maintain this and buried deep under the frenzy and adrenaline, is pure respect for Chanyeol being able to push him this far.

Chanyeol fires again with his infamous twin flamethrowers, but they miss and hit the shelf behind him instead, melting the steel bar quite efficiently and sending it crashing down. Minseok jumps aside to avoid it, where a foot crunches into the back of his knee. It sends him down immediately, and panic really begins to set in, but instead of choking him against the ground, Chanyeol hurls him back to his feet.

Minseok concentrates his ice to the tips of his fingers and stabs, meeting resistance in the form of pure heat. He quickly changes tactic and reinforces the ice into a solid lump, swinging and connecting with Chanyeol’s ribs. The other man bellows and knees Minseok in the stomach before grabbing his neck with a searing hand and hurling him into the nearby wall. Something cracks. The pain that darts up his back stuns him enough for Chanyeol to surge towards him and pin him against it.

“Looks like you’re losing, Minseok,” Chanyeol pants into his ear, breath hot and heavy.

Minseok squirms, blood from his nose getting into his mouth and making him cough more. He’s scared, but it’s not over. He stops fighting back, instead cupping the other’s face in his cool hands. Chanyeol stares back, confused, though the look is wiped off when Minseok pulls back and crunches his forehead into his nose. 

Chanyeol drops him, pulling away and clutching his face, cursing blindly and wildly, Minseok leans against the wall, alarmed when he coughs up something dark and almost membranous. He looks to Chanyeol, whose nose, fortunately, doesn’t look broken. His face, however, is almost completely red from the blood, giving him a demonic look that truly scares Minseok.

His leg gives up on him at that moment when Chanyeol’s eyes turn to him, blistering with enough fire and rage to burn right through him. Minseok wills himself to stand up, to ignore all the pain in his body. He stares right back.

“I’m going to destroy you.” Chanyeol rasps.

The two of them rush forward, grappling each other, neither of them having enough strength left over to maintain their magic, or even to do any real damage. Chanyeol manages to punch Minseok in the face, but the heat is gone, and when Minseok gets a good elbow into the other’s side, he doesn’t cut through skin. Both of them drip and smear blood on the other as they deliver increasingly weakened blows, and soon after Chanyeol barely taps Minseok on the head, he collapses to the ground, gasping and groaning like a wounded beast.

“Are we done?” Chanyeol eventually pants out, hands on knees. The air smells both smokey and damp, a swirling haze of magic and mist. Minseok collects his last remaining ice in his hand and hurls it at the other, but misses by a mile and instead sends a cooling blast rippling through the warehouse while dousing remaining small fires produced during the scramble.

Chanyeol wheezes with a weak laugh and finally collapses onto his stomach, before rolling onto his back. Minseok takes shaky steps towards him before his own legs crumple and he lands right on top of him. He’s too drained, both of magic and actual energy to respond.

“Yeah, we’re done.” Chanyeol sighs, making no move to push him off.

Minseok flinches when Chanyeol brings up his hands, but it’s only to brush his damp bangs out of his eyes. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to notice, but if he did, he doesn’t show it.

Though the fight is clearly over, Minseok has to admit he’s not really in the mood to listen to what the other has to say now. All he wants is to go back and get his injuries healed and maybe never attempt something like this ever again.

The warehouse gives a final sigh as everything settles down. The mist descends onto them like a shroud, and the last hiss of fire fades away. A drop of water from the rafters lands on Minseok’s cheek. Condensation.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol croaks out after a few minutes pass.

Remnants of haze and smoke swirl lazily above them. Minseok reaches up to it with a trembling hand, wincing at the bruising and cuts on his knuckles. He’s pretty sure one of his fingers are broken, but the remnants of ice still ingrained into his hand have kept the swelling down to a minimum. The stabbing pain fades as he pours more magic into the area. He lowers his arm with a thump and sighs. “No.”

Chanyeol chuckles, which turns into a coughing fit. When he finishes, he groans loudly, his voice rough like sandpaper. “Me neither.

“Are you hurt? Badly?”

A snort. “What do you think? You still hit as hard as ever.”

Minseok steadies his breathing, letting his magic wash over the rest of him to soothe the screaming of his muscles. Powers of ice are, decidedly, a blessing. He extends it further, allowing it to seep into Chanyeol’s skin, who groans with gratitude.

They stay like that, one resting on top of the other. Minseok can’t see him in this position, but he feels Chanyeol’s hand finding his own. He doesn’t pull away; it’s warm, as it usually is, on his constantly cool skin, and as always, he finds it comforting.

“Some assassin you are,” Chanyeol eventually muses. “I’ve got to be the only target you’ve failed to kill, right?”

More like won’t kill. Minseok sighs. “Shut up. I already said I just wanted to talk.”

“You weren’t sent here by the Council?”

“If you had listened, I was going to say that even though they did, I had no intention of listening to them.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol wriggles a bit.

Minseok can feel his usual heat and find himself shifting too, trying to get as comfortable as one can while lying on top of someone. But just like he remembers, being next to Chanyeol is like sitting in front of a fireplace, and he soaks in the much-appreciated warmth. His muscles seem to be enjoying the temperature fluctuations too.

“You know you’re probably gonna get punished when you go back. Kinda weird how they just let you like that without supervision.”

Minseok ignores the comment. “You’re a wanted man now, Chanyeol. But the news hasn’t spread far, so it’s just me.”

Chanyeol makes a sound of confusion.

“It’s embarrassing enough for the Council to deal with my very existence, but for you to go ballistic? Our Sanctuary would never hear the end of it if word got out.” Minseok says. “I suppose they sent me in hopes that we’d end up killing each other, two birds with one stone, as they say.”

“Two birds with one stone.” Chanyeol echoes.

The fog is closer to the ground now, a thick, swirling blanket reminiscent of clouds. Minseok could stay like this forever, but he remembers that he’d gone looking for Chanyeol for a reason.

The fire mage seems to get to it before he can. “I guess I should explain myself, huh? About everything.”

It’s a pleasant surprise; he’d begun to think it was just a ruse to get a fair fight between them.  Minseok barks out a laugh that sounds more like a strangled gasp. “Are you being serious?”

“You definitely beat me up a lot.”

“Which was a completely stupid idea.” Minseok snaps weakly. “If you wanted a proper fight you should have just  _asked_.” He’s not mad though, not really. He’d figured out in between blows that this was Chanyeol’s intention all along.

A sheepish laugh leaves the other’s mouth. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Such a brat.

Minseok gathers up any energy he has left and forces his muscles to move. He only succeeds in sliding off Chanyeol and bumping his head against the concrete floor. He shifts himself so he’s lying parallel to the other. “But not here.” After all the racket, there’s a high chance they’ll be discovered and Minseok really has no patience for mortal shenanigans now.

Chanyeol doesn't respond right away, prompting Minseok to believe that he may have fainted. However, the fear is soon dispelled when Minseok realises that Chanyeol’s busy trying to remember an appropriate place. “Do you have a car?”

Minseok pauses. “I had Jongin teleport me out, and I’ve been on foot ever since.”

“Uh.” Chanyeol groans and closes his eyes. “That should be fine, I think I can, uh…just follow me I guess.” He breathes out, and Minseok slowly watches him crumble into smoke.

“I can’t do that, you know.” Minseok sighs. He has to admit that he’s quite impressed that despite a whole year without training, Chanyeol is still quite adept with his magical skills. Going so far as to develop a new technique makes Minseok a proud teacher. “I know the doors are still reinforced, but you could just melt a hole in the wall. I’m a bit drained to build any more ice though. Or else we could just go through the roof.” He raises his eyes to the tempting gap above their heads.

Chanyeol takes a second to untangle himself from the fog before reforming. “I don’t think I’ve got enough energy to melt through a wall right now, but I can teach you?” He demonstrates by collapsing his entire head and neck into smoke.

It’s mildly unnerving but Minseok won’t deny that he’s interested. “I-I don’t–” 

“Hey, I at least owe you this.” Chanyeol brings back his head quickly, a bit shy. The fire is still there, but it’s a little one, more like the flame of a candle than the roaring inferno of a furnace. He scoots over to sit more closely in front of him, gazing at him like a nervous pup. There are terrible cuts across his cheeks and forehead and pink patches of skin from contacting the ice. Minseok feels the guilt rush up into his throat. 

As usual, Chanyeol is more perceptive to his emotions than others, and he quickly leans forward, taking Minseok’s hands again. He squeezes them reassuring, and motions with his eyes to the burnt skin of his ankle, looking so terribly remorseful that immediately, Minseok feels even worse than before.

Leaning forward, Minseok presses his cooled fingers against the small bruises on Chanyeol’s cheek, and with the other, he forms a sizeable block of ice and motions for the mage to melt it. As the other clicks his fingers to generate the spark, Minseok positions the block over the burn, and once Chanyeol’s fire is strong enough to melt the ice, the cool water is instantly soothing.

Chanyeol draws back the flame and reaches to cup Minseok’s face, his thumb brushing ever so over his cut lip. Minseok presses into those warm hands, trying to soak up the heat that his own body can never create.

They share small, nervous smiles when they finally pull away.

“I guess it’s your turn to teach me now.” Minseok offers another smile, though it feels more like a grimace this time. He’s proud of Chanyeol, he really is, but there’s a little sadness too, that once Chanyeol surpasses him, he won’t be needed anymore. “You must be the first to ever use fire magic like this.”

Chanyeol almost glows from the praise. “I had a lot of time to myself.” A brief solemn look crosses his face but fades just as quickly. “So, you can create mist right,”

“To an extent, does diamond dust count?”

“I think so, as long as the wind can carry it, it’ll work.”

“Should’ve brought Sehun along then,” Minseok muses.

The fire mage chuckles in response. “How is he, by the way?”

“Jongin calls me from time to time to tell me that he’s mad and he doesn’t want us to come back ever again,” Minseok says. “He misses you terribly, though.”

“That sounds like Sehun all right. Can’t wait to see the look on his face when we get back.”

Minseok pauses. “You’re coming back?”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “Of course I am. I’ve been stuck here for so long, you think I wanna stay?”

Minseok stifles a smile. “So what do I do?”

“I don’t really know how to explain it; first, you just let it coat all of you, like a second skin. It’s gotta go over your clothes too.”

“That’s very helpful,” Minseok mutters as Chanyeol grins sheepishly. He’s certain that what the mage is describing is similar with his expelling of a fine layer of crystals on patches of skin, just like he’d done for to soothe their muscles. “And after that?”

There’s a hint of sadness in Chanyeol’s next few words. “You let it take you away.” He completely dissolves into a pillow of smoke before twisting back into a vaguely human shape. Minseok can make out two fiery orbs near the head and determines them to be the other’s eyes.

Minseok holds his magic over him and imagines himself fading away. It’s a familiar fantasy, so it’s not long before the ends of fingers pale into snow before crumbling away. It’s slow, and mesmerising before Minseok turns to Chanyeol. “Ah,” he says and holds his hand up, watching it continue to disintegrate into powder. “Any idea how to put it back?”

Chanyeol immediately recombines back into fleshly existence. It’s an equally fascinating sight, watching the ash clump together, then drop away to reveal skin. All his clothes are there too. “You bring it back yourself.”

Another ambiguous answer, but Minseok knows. These feelings are ones he knows well, so he turns his attention to the swirling flakes of what used to be his hand, and calls them back. It’s almost a longing plead as if they have a conscience. Minseok calls them back, and they listen, carefully rebuilding as crystals bones before piling into snow flesh, and finally melting away into skin.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?

Minseok looks up as Chanyeol holds his own hand out, watching the fingers turn to ash and dispersing further into smoke. The particles float almost aimlessly in the mild light struggling through the warehouse, before flitting back to his hand, his bones dark carbon and ash packed as meat. Chanyeol shakes his hand and the ash falls off.

“Makes you think, huh, about us. We’re inherently human, but look at what we can do. That was basically what the cult was selling: Reset the world, wipe the mortals off and let us mages flourish.” Chanyeol recoils slightly with disgust. “Can’t believe I almost fell for their bullshit.”

“Mortals are a special case,” Minseok says, taking Chanyeol’s hands. “But it’s not as if we’re any better. A cult like that has no place in our world.”

Chanyeol squeezes his hands. He glances upwards at the opening in the ceiling. “Wanna get out of here?”

Minseok smiles before pushing himself to stand. “Sure.” He gives a quick flourish. “Lead the way.

A sudden wave of vertigo hits him hard. His legs begin to tremble wildly and he almost falls back down if it were not for Chanyeol darting over and holding him up.

“Thanks. Have a place in mind?”

“Not really.” Chanyeol scratches at his neck. They locked me up here once I tried to fight them, so I never really left this place.”

Minseok allows himself a few more seconds in Chanyeol’s warm embrace before pulling back. “I have one. There’s a motel in nearby town. I passed it on my way here.”

Chanyeol nods, before he crumbles back into a lazy grey haze, amber orbs glittering in amusement as he watches Minseok follow suit, albeit at a much slower pace.

Eventually, Minseok manages to fade both arms and his entire lower body into a miniature snowstorm before his magic suddenly surges upwards and he feels his face tingle as it too disappears into whirling crystals. Now, he’s just like the other, a vague shape made of loose particles.

He’d forgotten to ask how to move, but it’s actually quite simple. It’s akin to flying, but closer to, moving in zero gravity, though the effect lessens as they go higher and higher. Chanyeol gently mingles his smoke with Minseok’s crystals, and together, they clear the roof and surge into the open sky. The fire mage coils around him playfully, before he tugs at him to move towards the town.

In this form, everything feels so strange. He’s conscious of the wind seeping and breaking through his structure and of the roughness of Chanyeol’s particles as they brush and bump into each other. A bird flies overhead, aware of something peculiar below it but not too curious to investigate.

Chanyeol has now completely disregarded maintaining a human figure and is instead, a cloud of smoke shaped as a distant idea of a wolf. Minseok feels a ghost of a smile pass over his non-existent face. It’s a bit scary, but Chanyeol is right next to him, and he bounds over to keep all his parts from drifting too far away. Minseok wants to try it too but only succeeds in compacting himself into a tight sphere of turbulent snow. Chanyeol tosses his wolf-head back in laughter before reaching forward, snatching him up with his jaws and bounces through the sky.

Minseok disperses himself through the gaps of Chanyeol’s teeth and nestles himself into his fur, amused at their antics. It’s been a while since he’s felt so at peace, in particular, while on the verge of losing his entire physical body. He clings on as they scatter through lower cirrus clouds.

It’s some time in the late afternoon right now, with the sun steadily returning to the horizon. Chanyeol guides them lower until they land on the roof to continue from there. What a sight, a random swirl of smoke interlaced with a miniature snowstorm leaping across the tops of buildings. At least the light is leaving now, and to a mortal’s eyes, they’d probably appear as a mysterious cloud, but to a mage, it’d definitely be a point of suspicion. Thankfully, the motel is close by and they squeeze through the open window on the third floor and into an empty room.

Minseok works on separating and collecting the parts of himself ingrained into Chanyeol, and eventually, they’re both blurry figures composed of their respective particles. Chanyeol is the one to reform first, clearly an expert. He moves closer and uses his hands to guide Minseok back together. After a good few minutes of trying to maintain a figure while rebuilding his body parts one by one, Minseok finally comes back together, with nothing missing. He breathes a sigh of relief.

Chanyeol leans forward and pokes Minseok’s cheek. “These look rounder.”

Minseok swats him. “Must have picked up some from the clouds.” He looks around. The room is dingy and smells slightly of weed. Minseok wouldn’t want to touch the bed even if it’d been cleaned with a pressure washer. They make the mutual decision to abandon the current room and find another one.

A vacant room is available on the other side of the motel and with Minseok’s handy lockpicking skills and his magical ability to shape ice into whatever they want, they get inside and are relieved to see a major improvement. The room, still dark and a little worn down, is comparatively much cleaner and smells a fair bit nicer too.

Once the door closes and locks behind them, they share a sigh of relief. Even the incessant hum of the radiator and mini fridge is calming. Minseok shucks off his coat and topples onto the bed. Chanyeol joins him, and they mingle their limbs just as they used to. The heat and coolness of each other are a curious juxtaposition, and it makes the both of them smile. Those were always fond memories, and Minseok hopes that he can relive them once more.

Chanyeol lies on his back, his dark hair a curl halo around his head. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on a bed.”

They eventually shed all their clothes except their underwear, and climb into bed. Chanyeol and his overpowering inner heat warm them both up instantly.

“They took me in after I left,” Chanyeol says suddenly. “They were the only people that didn’t look at me like I was a monster.”

Minseok remains silent. Under the sheets, he finds Chanyeol’s hand and interlaces their fingers.

The taller man looks at him, eyebrows furrowed and eyes wet. “I don’t know what happened,” He whispers. He lets go to bring his hand up and brush the hair from Minseok’s face. “I don’t know...I was listening, and then suddenly, I wasn’t. 

Minseok blinks, trying to piece it together. “Do you think it was a Telekinetic?”

“Mind control? Nah, we’ve all got mental blocks up,” Chanyeol suddenly trembles with an emotion Minseok can only interpret as rage. “It was  _me_. I  _wanted_ to do those things, I really did. I knew it was wrong but I couldn’t stop.” He looks fearful now, and he grabs hold of Minseok’s hand. “I wanted chaos, destruction. And when it was over, I–” His voice cuts as he chokes over his next words. “No one…”

“No one,” Minseok reassures. He mulls over what Chanyeol’s said. He’s never heard of any power like it. “Do you have any idea who?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “But I think I know how; it...amplifies your desires. That’s what I think.” Minseok jolts in alarm, though the other man is quick to calm him. “No! I never wanted to hurt people, but you know I’m competitive, I wanted to beat them, surpass them...you know…” Chanyeol looks away.

The room grows warmer by the second. Chanyeol’s not crying, but he looks like he’s just toeing the edge. Minseok nods, quietly urging him to continue. His hands are cold and they trace reassuring patterns into the other’s skin.

“Everyone makes a big deal about me being a prodigy, but that I’m still too  _young_  to have any proper standing, you know? They think I’m ungrateful, that I don’t train since I’m already at the highest point of my abilities. Sehun gets the same shit too, I have no idea how he deals with it. We’re adults, not _children_ for god’s sake.” He’s rambling now, but it’s the first time Minseok’s ever had a proper peek into Chanyeol’s heart. He feels guilty, not knowing that this was how he felt for all these years that they’ve been teacher and student.

Despite only getting a few words laden with emotion, Minseok begins to understand exactly what happened that day. He concludes it must be the doomsday cult pulling the strings. How convenient it must have been for them; Chanyeol, already emotionally vulnerable and desperate to be understood, to be pushed so far, no wonder he’d fallen into them. Clearly, they had intentions to monopolise his pure power and maybe turn him against the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary, of course, would have been an obstacle in their ridiculous goals. 

There is a traitor in their midst. Someone working for the cult from the inside. With tensions between the mortal's world and their own– of being discovered, exposed, captured, experimented on, god mortals could be so cruel– it was inevitable that the pressure would turn any mage to radical extremes.

But Minseok decides to save this for when they finally get back home. Now, he has Chanyeol to take care of.

“And back there, at the warehouse,” the fire mage continues after he calms down a little. “I wanted to beat you the most. You’re my teacher, but you’re also the person I look up to the most, even if you’re super strict and annoying. You’re really moody sometimes too, and you complain a lot, did anyone ever tell you that? You’re kinda like an old man, come to think of it. Wait, you  _are_. God, you’re old.”

Minseok smiles at those words, glad to see some of Chanyeol’s spark coming through again. “I love you too.”

Chanyeol laughs, moving closer to kiss the tip of Minseok’s nose. “Was expecting you to hit me or something. I’m not taking anything back though. It’s about time someone told you  _your_ flaws." 

He does hit him now, but it's with soft fists. Chanyeol snorts and pokes him in the stomach in retaliation. “I’m just...It’s good that you’re feeling better. I was so worried that you’d be affected by it forever since it’s been with you all this time.”

Chanyeol gives a drained smile. “I’m pretty sure it’s all gone, though, I suppose once you act on the desire the magic is used up. I guess I can thank it there that it finally made you agree to go up in a fair fight with me.”

“Did you get that today?”

He shrugs. “It was good enough for me.”

“I guess we can call it a draw.”

Chanyeol pouts. “I think I won, like three-quarters of that fight.”

“Sure you did.” Minseok snuggles closer, “But swear to me that we won’t ever do that again.”

Chanyeol yawns, moving his arm to allow Minseok to rest his head against his chest. “Why’s that?”

“Could have killed you,” Minseok murmurs, listening to the steady beat of Chanyeol’s heart. “I would have died right there if I killed you.”

“That’s probably why they left me there, they wanted us to get rid of each other, like the Council,” Chanyeol says, “I overheard the cult guys talking about you, saying that they needed to get rid of all the super powerful mages in the Sanctuary.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, but I think they got the wrong idea about us. I mean, we argue and fight a lot, so I guess that’s why they’d think we hate each other’s guts.” Chanyeol muses. Then, he starts grinning to himself. “You hear that though? We’re both top dogs. We’re on the same level.”

Minseok sighs as Chanyeol’s hand comes up to play with his hair. “I never said that we weren’t.”

“Bullshit, you’re always so high and mighty around the Sanctuary. That’s why people call you Ice Prince behind your back.” 

“You’re the only one who does it, and you call me that to my face.” Minseok points out. He buzzes slightly though from the title. But he won’t ever admit it to the other.

It’s so pleasing to hear Chanyeol’s laughter. His chest shakes and his voice rumbles deep. The warmth of Chanyeol’s body soaks into his own, subduing the ceaseless chill of his own body. Minseok twists around and looks up at the other. Something unspoken passes between them, and Chanyeol scoops him up, head pressed into the junction between his neck and shoulder, breathing him in.

Minseok straddles Chanyeol, but even now he’s not much taller than the other. He’s reminded how tall, how  _big_ , Chanyeol actually is compared to him, and if it were anyone else, he’d had felt insecure– and he used to. But with Chanyeol, everything is different. He doesn’t mind being small against Chanyeol, and he doesn’t mind submitting himself to him even though he’s older. Chanyeol makes him feel safe, and perhaps most importantly, warm, and that’s all he’s ever wanted. "I've missed you so much," he whispers.

Chanyeol's eyes crinkle. "I've missed you too, old man."

Minseok gives him a punch that has nothing but affection driving it.

“You used to be so cold to me,” Chanyeol mumbles into his skin, pressing burning kisses up his neck. “Pun intended. You’re a little warmer now, but it still feels like I’m kissing a marble statue.”

“Shut up,” Minseok whispers back, sighing into the kiss Chanyeol uses to shut  _him_  up. “I’m always sweaty when I’m near you, it’s gross.” 

Chanyeol lays him onto his back and brushes his hair back off his forehead. Indeed, he’s already starting to sweat from the heat, and it feels especially dirty when Chanyeol licks a wet stripe up his neck and pulls him up for another kiss, sucking and biting into his bottom lip.

“Fuck,” Minseok breathes, looping his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and pulling him down on top of him. They’re both hard now, and it’s almost amusing how arousal can smother the stiffness of their fight away. No doubt he’ll be even sorer after tonight, but it’s worth it. 

The fire mage’s eyes trace down his body, each time stopping at a forming bruise and wincing. He cringes, even more, when he eyes all the burns littered across his body. It isn’t as if he’s looking any better, with cuts through his bruises. There’s no frostbite though; Minseok’s relieved that it’s just impossible for it to happen for a fire mage like Chanyeol. Minseok presses his fingers into Chanyeol’s chest, where it’s the most concentrated, and pours in a little magic, prompting a low groan of satisfaction.

Chanyeol kisses his bruises, every single one, neck, chest, arms, face. He even turns him over to kiss the ones on his back, and there are many. He spends the most time at his thigh, hoisting Minseok’s leg to worship the soft flesh. It tickles a little and Minseok giggles, using his hands to push the other somewhere else. 

“Get on with it.” 

Chanyeol responds devilishly, dipping a hand down and squeezes his cock, rubbing his thumb into the tip. Minseok bites back a moan and bucks into it, Chanyeol’s hand rough against the skin. Chanyeol snakes an arm underneath him to bring him higher, and his kisses go down and down, just stopping shy of his navel.

Minseok whimpers as Chanyeol continues to pump him, almost too slow. Precum oozes out with every tug, Chanyeol takes a nipple in between his teeth as his other hand moves down to squeeze his ass. Minseok gasps and grips the other’s bicep, the sensations tumbling through his body one after the other.

He’s on the edge now, but Chanyeol feels his spasm and stops, grinning with darkened eyes when Minseok whines and tries to grab his hand again. “Slow down, Minseok. We're not in any rush.” He tweaks his other nipple before leaning down and pressing another hot kiss into Minseok’s mouth.

He’s so hard, it’s almost painful. Minseok kisses back desperately, tasting the blood they’d both ended up hacking up during their fight. “ _Please,_ ” He whispers, grinding against the other. He tries to touch himself, but Chanyeol takes his wrists and kisses them together, clearly keeping Minseok from tipping over on purpose.

Chanyeol brings his hand up and presses his fingers into Minseok’s mouth. Minseok complies eagerly, taking each digit and swirls his tongue to ensure each one is coated with ample saliva. Chanyeol pulls them out and gives Minseok’s cock another pump as a reward, who keens into it, desperate for more.

Though his saliva is always cold, it turns hot when Chanyeol presses the first finger against his entrance. He pumps it in and out, so slowly but so deep that Minseok finds that he’s on the verge of tears. “ _Faster.”_ He rasps out, trying to touch himself but is stopped every time. “  _More_.”

For once, Chanyeol listens to him and begins to up the pace, adding a second finger. He rotates them with each thrust and a cool blast of air ripples through the room when Chanyeol brushes against his prostate. The fire mage presses against it again, watching in amusement when Minseok swears and writhes, the temperature of the room slowly decreasing.

When Chanyeol adds his third finger, it’s enough to send him spiralling down, but he squeezes the base of Minseok’s dick just as quickly, causing him to gasp and shudder as the orgasm hits him hard, surging through his veins but plateauing far too quickly. “ _Asshole_ ,” Minseok groans, but his curses are lost when Chanyeol sucks another hickey into his neck. He’s so close, but of course, Chanyeol likes to tease him until he’s hanging on by a thread. The coiling in his abdomen is wound so tight, and it’s a miracle that Chanyeol doesn’t stop him from fucking himself onto his fingers. Instead, the man laughs, low and throaty, running his hand through the latter’s hair.

Finally, Chanyeol removes his fingers. Minseok whimpers at the loss, but moans when he feels the tip of Chanyeol’s cock pressing against his entrance. He’s still teasing, pushing only slightly, enough to sink in but nowhere near enough to fill him up. And finally, after another torturous few minutes of careful half-thrusts, Chanyeol holds him down and pushes all the way in. 

Instantly, the room drops ten degrees, and Chanyeol grins, setting a pace so slow Minseok swears he could die from all the uncompleted pleasure boiling inside of him. It feels so good, so full, the drag of Chanyeol’s dick against his walls, each thrust hitting his prostate dead on, Chanyeol’s hot hands squeezing his body and his lips sucking and biting anywhere and everywhere. His vision blurs and his limbs tremble with every perfect strike. Sparks shoot up Minseok’s spine and he’s sure he’s incoherent at this point, drooling from his mouth and cock as Chanyeol sinks in so deep that surely it’s reached his stomach. He can barely lift his arms to get Chanyeol to go faster. “ _Chanyeol,_ ” He begs, voice breathy, needy.  _“Faster.”_ Chanyeol moans at the sound of his name uttered in such a way, but he’s not ready to up the pace.

“You’re so beautiful,” Chanyeol mumbles into his neck, and now, each thrust comes a little faster than the last. The pace is increasing steadily, and Minseok feels ready to lose it any second now. Chanyeol is hot inside him, almost as if he’s heating him up from the inside. Minseok’s dick throbs with each push, and when Chanyeol grabs the back of his thighs to spread him further, just the very pull of his muscles makes Minseok wheeze.

Chanyeol’s thrusts are fast now, each slap of skin resounding through the room. Minseok gasps and cries, and  _finally_ , the other man resumes pumping Minseok, though it’s completely out of sync, hard and rough, thumb digging into his slit, and then, the searing ball inside him bursts, completely overloading his senses. He comes, hard and across his stomach, and it lasts so deliciously long. The pleasure soars, riding up his spine and stuns him like a sucker punch. The room is freezing at this point, each exhale bringing a puff of visible air. Steam rises off both their bodies and Chanyeol pulls out, his cum joining the painting on Minseok’s stomach. 

“You still there, Minseok?” Chanyeol’s brings him back to the current reality, and soon, he’s gasping and his whole body trembles from the aftershocks.

“Fuck,” Minseok breathes, too drained to move. He eyes the ceiling and of the frost that coats almost every surface of the room. “Fuck,” He says again, this time with a tinge of embarrassment.

Chanyeol stifles a laugh and waves his hand. There's a slight hissing and popping, and then, ice begins to fade, slow. The room gradually heats up again, and soon, it looks as if everything is covered in dew. “That good, huh?”

“S’been a year,” Minseok drawls out, finally finding enough strength to wipe the tears from his eyes and the sweat from his brow.

Chanyeol laughs again, before slumping down next to him and giving him a fat, slobbery kiss to the cheek. “I’m honoured.” 

Minseok rolls onto his side, wincing as the soreness starts to come back. Chanyeol notices and grins proudly, but it fades a little when Minseok winces and clutches his side, at the hand-shaped burn resting red against his skin.

Minseok notices. “It’s fine,” He says quickly. “Nothing Yixing can’t fix.”

“Yixing’s a necromancer,” Chanyeol responds.

“Ah,” Minseok smiles sheepishly. “Well, I’m sure it won’t come to that. He’s a doctor too, so no sweat.”

“A lot of sweat, apparently,” Chanyeol presses a hand to Minseok’s forehead and it comes back shiny.

Minseok recoils, causing the other man to roar with laughter. “That is disgusting. There’s a shower here, right?”

Chanyeol motions to the open sliding door on their right. It reveals a small bathroom, with a single sink, toilet and shower. “Looks like we have to share.”

“No problem.” Minseok grins and yells when Chanyeol sweeps him off the bed and carries him in.

 

◍◍◍

 

Minseok rifles through his coat and grabs his burner phone, surprised to see that it withstood all that beating, as well as being transmuted into minuscule particles along with ice and back again. He’ll never fully understand magic.

With one hand, he dials Jongin, and within seconds appears, a dark, haze swirling around him. First, he shivers from the cold, then his eyes grow wide. “Why are you naked?” he asks in a hushed voice.

“Why are you staring?” Minseok retorts, running a hand through his messy hair. He keeps the covers carefully wrapped around himself. “How’s everyone back home?” He realises he should be a little bit more formal due to seniority, but now that the young teleporter’s seen him in this state, he supposes there’s no point keeping his dignity anymore.

Jongin is obviously taken aback by how things are. He, in particular, looks scandalised by the amount of bruising, and hickeys, scattered over Minseok’s exposed skin, or his entire dishevelled appearance. It probably won’t take much to put two and two together; thank god it’s not in his nature to make a snide comment about it. Eventually, Jongin clears his throat and gives a report. “Everything’s been fixed up. Everyone’s recovered too. Sehun really misses you guys, he denies crying about it.”

Sehun. Minseok smiles and for once, he’s eager to head back to the Sanctuary.

Jongin coughs again. “So...where…”

“You know they sent me to kill him, right?” Minseok says, watching the other’s expressions.

To his surprise, Jongin scoffs, but there’s a smile there. “Everyone knows you wouldn’t actually do it. They say that you’d rather die than do it.” 

And they’re damn right. Minseok’s not sure if everyone knowing that is a good thing though. “And how are they? With Chanyeol…?”

A shrug. “It’s a bit quieter. I guess. I’m pretty sure no one’s actually angry at him for what happened since we ended up with more info on them thanks to Chanyeol.”

Minseok pales. “Wait, what did he do?”

“He didn’t tell you? He got a list of names and addresses and got it mailed to us. God knows how he did it. We never got any other info so we assumed they’d got him locked up somewhere.” Jongin leans in close, “That’s why Junmyeon sent you, he knew you’d find him.” 

Minseok rubs at his eyes. “I can’t– Why...ugh nevermind.” He’ll have to have a talk with Junmyeon when he gets back.

“Where is he, by the way?” Jongin asks, scanning the room. “I was kinda hoping we could leave as soon as possible. Mortal places make me nervous.”

It’s the afternoon. The both of them had overslept, and it had actually been  _Chanyeol_ that had woken  _him_ up, but it was mainly because he was hungry.  _I’m gonna go grab some snacks, teleportation always does something funny to my stomach_ , he’d said. Minseok had groaned and sent him off, reminding him to be careful and come back as soon as he could. By the looks of it, he has yet to return. Jongin begins to look antsy. 

“He’ll be back,” Minseok reassures, but another hour passes and now it’s Minseok’s turn to worry. He curses at himself, he should’ve gone with him. God knows where he is now. Could he be hurt? Did they get him again? Minseok resists biting his nails and resorts to pacing the room.

Another few minutes pass and Minseok makes Jongin turn around as he pulls on his clothes, blanching as the burnt and bloodstained fabric passes over his skin. Still, no sign of Chanyeol.

“I’ll go look for him,” Minseok says, quickly pulling on his coat. He’d called Jongin about half an hour after Chanyeol had left, so he can’t have travelled far.

“Look for who?” A voice from the doorway asks. A familiar heat swells in the room. Minseok instantly crosses over and delivers a small cluster of punches to Chanyeol’s chest.

“You scared me, you idiot.” Minseok hisses, and maybe there are a few tears in his eyes, but maybe it’s just allergies.

Chanyeol snickers, but bends down and kisses him tenderly. “You’re the idiot. I can take care of myself, you know.” He holds up a bag of cheap junk food. “Didn’t have a wallet, so I had to steal one first, then there’s the whole issue with credit cards. Got it in the end, though.”

"Don’t do it again,” Minseok mutters sternly, yanking Chanyeol down again for another kiss. He tastes like cinnamon. Looks like he went and snuck in some proper food too. Chanyeol smiles and cups Minseok’s face as he deepens the kiss, his hand moving down to grip his ass.

“Uh, guys…”Jongin says, “I’m still here.”

They break apart, Minseok more flustered than he’d like to be. A dirty string of saliva joins them and he quickly freezes it and flicks it off their lips. “Right. Let’s go.”

Chanyeol holds his hand, hot against cold, as Jongin awkwardly waits for them. “Ready?” He asks, clearly craving the moment when he can finally leave the two of them alone.

Minseok nods and the three of them disappear. A swirl of black mist is all that remains.

  
  
  



End file.
